Winter New Shows

You were confused by the Terry Gilliam movie, and now you can be confused by the television adaptation of that movie! Syfy is putting its mark on the story of a time traveler (originally played by Bruce Willis) who's been sent from the post-apocalyptic future to stop a plague that decimates mankind in 2043. But of course the task won't be easy, as there's no off switch for a deadly disease. Plus: Most people dismiss self-professed time travelers as total loons. Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull and Kirk Acevedo star.

This follow-up to History's ratings-smash miniseries The Bible picks up where its predecessor left off, chronicling the events that followed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (Juan Pablo di Pace). And yes, it's debuting on Easter, just like Jesus would have wanted it to.

If FX's The Americans is a little too cable-y for you, consider checking out NBC's take on domestic espionage. Hope Davis and Scott Cohen play a pair of deactivated Russian spies living in America who are called back into service for one more important mission: to convince their son to become a spy for Mother Russia. There's just one problem: Their son is a CIA analyst! Only on television, folks, only on television.

This gritty event series, written and produced by 12 Years a Slave's John Ridley, examines the effects a brutal crime has on a community. After a young couple is attacked in their home, leaving a war veteran dead and his wife in critical condition, socioeconomic and racial tensions rise during the trial. The series, which is told from multiple characters' points of view, stars Felicity Huffman, Timothy Hutton, Earl Brown, Richard Cabral and Penelope Ann Miller.

NBC's own mini-Homeland, Odyssey kicks off with the killing of Al Qaeda's top commander and unravels into a Traffic-like international conspiracy thriller involving global politics, corporate espionage, and military secrets. Pushing Daisies alum Anna Friel stars as Special Forces soldier Odelle, who discovers that a major U.S. corporation is funding jihadists, but her entire team is attacked and murdered before she can tell anyone the truth. Meanwhile, Peter Facinelli (Nurse Jackie) plays a disillusioned corporate attorney working with the company that's funneling money to terrorists, and Jake Robinson (The Carrie Diaries) plays a political activist who befriends a hacker claiming to have unearthed the same conspiracy Odelle stumbled onto. As you might expect, the only way these three strangers can save their country, their families, and themselves is by joining forces and blowing the whole thing wide open.

The Office's Rainn Wilson plays the irascible titular sleuth in this curmudgeonly crime procedural based on the Swedish book series by Leif G. W. Persson, which was adapted by Bonescreator Hart Hanson. Imagine grumpy ol' Dr. House, solving murders instead medical mysteries in the dampness of Portland, and you've got a good idea of how Backstrom operates. And whatever you do, don't call him Detective Dwight Schrute!

Before Vince Gilligan created Breaking Bad, he wrote Battle Creek. After the success of Breaking Bad CBS dusted off Gilligan's 10-year-old script and brought in House mastermind David Shore to run the show. The lighthearted procedural drama features a pair of mismatched detectives — Josh Duhamel's slick FBI agent and Dean Winters' local cop — who fight crime in Michigan on a budget that would make a piggy bank feel hollow. Kal Penn and Janet McTeer also star.

Breaking Bad's deplorable and adorable ambulance chaser had to start somewhere. This prequel to one of the greatest TV series of all time tells the story of criminal lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), picking up six years before the events of Breaking Bad, back when Goodman was known as Jimmy McGill. Expect to see the return of some familiar faces from Breaking Bad — including Jonathan Banks' Mike — as McGill evolves into Albuquerque's greatest defender of scum. Cross your fingers for cameos from Walt and Jesse.

A six-episode miniseries from Gideon Raff (Homeland) and Tim Kring (Heroes), Dig stars Jason Isaacs (Awake) as Peter, an archaeologist who uncovers a 2,000-year-old conspiracy that threatens to change history as we know it. Anne Heche plays Peter's boss at the Jerusalem FBI office, as well as his main love interest. Lauren Ambrose and David Costabile also star.

Love the music-biz drama of Nashville but wish the show had more bling? If so, Empire is your new jam. Terrence Howard stars as Luscious Lyon, the CEO of a hip-hop label whose undisputed reign at the top is challenged when he learns he has ALS. Now he must groom one of his three sons to take over the company, if his recently released-from-prison ex-wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) doesn't grab it first.

MTV is branching out from teen wolves, fake lesbians, and awkward high-schoolers, as its newest series is a thriller starring Victoria Justice as Lindy, a 21-year-old hacker and tech genius (LOL). Based on the book of the same name by R.L. Stine, the series follows Lindy as she enters the world of online dating and begins to suspect that one of her suitors is a deadly cyber stalker who's responsible for several murders in New York City. Eventually, Lindy teams up with the police to bring the killer to justice.

This promising but unfortunately titled new comedy tells the story of an Asian family that is trying to assimilate into suburban white culture in 1995 after they move from Washington, D.C. to Orlando to open a restaurant. Based on the memoir of the same name by chef Eddie Huang, the series stars Randall Park, Constance Wu, Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler and Ian Chen. Huang provides the voiceover narration.

This fairy-tale musical from The Neighbors' Dan Fogelman has been described as Spamalot meets The Princess Bride. With music and lyrics by composer Alan Menken (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast) and lyricist Glenn Slater (Tangled), Galavant follows the titular prince (Joshua Sasse) as he attempts to exact revenge on the evil king (Psych's Timothy Omundson) who stole his one true love (Mallory Jansen). Vinnie Jones, Karen David and Luke Youngblood also star. Plus: Look for cameos from John Stamos, Weird Al Yankovic and Ricky Gervais!

VH1's latest foray into scripted original programming stars Laura Ramsey as Becca, a woman who's about to get married for the second time even though she's filled with doubt. She finds herself wondering how her life would be different if she'd made better choices… and that's where the magical time machine comes in! After a "freakish elevator ride," Becca wakes up in 1995 — on the morning of her first wedding, no less — allowing her to reconnect with her former BFF and embark on a "new" life. Expect plenty of jokes about AOL, boy bands and VCRs as she experiences the ultimate do-over.

Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas is behind this TV adaptation of the D.C. Comics series of the same name, which follows a med student-turned-zombie-turned-morgue-attendant (Rose McIver) who must eat the brains of the recently deceased in order to stay alive. However, whenever she chows down on a new serving of head jelly, she acquires the memories contained within — and uses that info to help solve mysteries. As you do. To put this another way: iZombie is what would happen if Veronica Mars became a zombie, right down to the jaded cynicism and sarcastic voiceovers. Robert Buckley, David Anders, Malcolm Goodwin and Rahul Kohli also star.

It's the end of the world as Will Forte knows it, and he feels fine. The Saturday Night Live alum plays the only known human being on the planet in this pants-optional post-apocalyptic comedy. Fortunately, Forte's character does what we'd all do in that situation: He grows a huge beard, runs the field at Dodger Stadium and, when time allows, searches for other human beings to keep mankind going.

Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show successor is English comedian James Corden, but don't fret if his name doesn't sound familiar. Ferguson wasn't a well-known commodity when he started hosting either, remember? And Corden — who some viewers might recognize from the U.K.'s Gavin & Stacey and/or Hulu's The Wrong Mans — has hired a cool friend to serve as his bandleader: Comedy Bang! Bang!'s hilariously hirsute Reggie Watts will be on hand to provide music and goofy quips.

Undeclared's Jay Baruchel plays Josh, an unlucky-in-love twentysomething single dude who's looking for a soulmate, in this whimsical romantic comedy for the creative set. Metaphors come to life via moments of fantasy — like a woman literally eating Josh's heart — which take over the storytelling when words just won't do the trick. Eric Andre, Britt Lower and Maya Erskine also star.

Hayley Atwell reprises her role as Peggy Carter from Captain America: The First Avenger in this new series that will air in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s time period during S.H.I.E.L.D.'s winter hiatus. Set in 1946, the show follows Peggy as she struggles to balance her day-to-day work at SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve, the precursor to S.H.I.E.L.D.) with clearing Howard Stark's (Dominic Cooper) name after he's framed for selling his deadliest weapons to the highest bidder. And she's doing all of this, of course, as she deals with losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). But you know what they say: 'Tis better to have made out with Chris Evans only once, than to never have made out with Chris Evans at all!

Binge on Amazon's latest offering, a sexy and shocking drama set in the world of professional classical music. These cellists and oboists don't go home and sip on tea — they get wasted and screw randoms, all while eying the first chair in the symphony. Gael Garcia Bernal, Malcolm McDowell and Saffron Burrows star.

This companion to The Daily Show will fill the void left by The Colbert Report now that Stephen Colbert has been called up to the big leagues to replace David Letterman. Wilmore, who's currently a correspondent for The Daily Show, will tackle current events from an underdog point of view, exploring them in the context of race, gender and other angles.

Matthew Perry once again returns to TV in hopes of breaking his post-Friends curse, and this time he's relying on a well-known property from America's Most-Watched Network to bring him some good mojo. Perry plays messy roommate Oscar and Reno 911's Thomas Lennon suits up as neat-freak Felix in this revival of the '60s play and subsequent '70s sitcom that sees a pair of divorced gents wooing a pair of sisters (Lindsay Sloane and Leslie Bibb) who live in their apartment building. Wendell Pierce and Yvette Nicole Brown also star.

From executive producer Ellen DeGeneres, this comedy stars Elisha Cuthbert (Happy Endings) as Lizzy, a lesbian who decides to raise a baby with her straight, male bestie Luke (Nick Zano). However, just as Lizzy finds out she's pregnant, Luke announces that he's found — and married — the love of his life, Prudence (Kelly Brook). One Big Happy is a multi-camera sitcom, so be prepared to hear a laugh track when characters make turkey-baster jokes.

Host Wendi McLendon-Covey uses an earpiece to guide celebrities, including Ellen Pompeo, Taye Diggs and Harry Connick Jr., to interact with everyday people in this hidden-camera series inspired by a segment on executive producer Ellen DeGeneres' talk show.

The boy band that started it all, the New Kids on the Block, are no longer boys, but they can still swivel their hips enough to fill up their own four-day cruise ship with women hanging onto the '90s. This reality series follows NKOTB and the fans willing to pay a lot of money to be near them as they set sail for awkward meet-ups on the high seas. Don't forget your Dramamine!

Even if you live in a boring democracy with elected officials, you have to admit that you're obsessed with royal families! Enter E!'s first-ever scripted series, which lathers up the lavish lifestyle of British blue bloods as a fictional royal family with a penchant for partying (and catfights!) deals with prying tabloids and an adoring public. Created by One Tree Hill's Mark Schwahn, the sexy series stars Elizabeth Hurley, who's practically British royalty herself, Vincent Regan, William Moseley and Alexandra Park.

SCTV vets Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara cross the border for this Canadian-produced comedy that serves as the Pop network's (formerly TV Guide Network) first scripted series. Levy and O'Hara play a formerly wealthy couple who, after losing all their money, are forced to pack up their two kids and move to podunk Schitt's Creek, a small town they once bought as a joke.

Secrets and Lies is about the murder of a young boy and the skeleton-filled closets of the suburban community where he lived and died. The story is told through the eyes of Ryan Phillippe's Ben Crawford, who starts out as the Good Samaritan who found the child's body but is ultimately named the prime suspect in his murder. Don't you just hate it when that happens? No good deed, and all that stuff. Juliette Lewis stars as the lead detective on the case. Secrets and Lies will be a 10-episode, open-and-shut event series, with the central mystery solved by the final episode.

Created by brothers Mark and Jay Duplass, Togetherness follows two married couples living under the same roof. Mark Duplass (The League) and Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men) star as Brett and Michelle, who are struggling to rekindle their relationship while sharing digs with Brett's BFF Alex (Steve Zissis) and Michelle's sister Tina (Amanda Peet). Expect plenty of dramedy as they all try to remain friends/siblings/spouses.

Originally set up at NBC, this new comedy from 30 Rock duo Tina Fey and Robert Carlock moves to Netflix and stars The Office's Ellie Kemper as the "unbreakable" titular character, who escapes from a doomsday cult and moves to New York to start over. 30 Rock alums Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess, as well as Lauren Adams, Sara Chase, Sol Miranda and Carol Kane, round out the cast.

Surprise! The broadcast networks' sitcom factory has churned out yet another show about relationship-challenged twentysomethings. This one follows a quartet of singles sharing a Queens townhouse. Looking for love will be Ugly Betty's Becki Newton as a high-strung dental hygienist, Happy Endings' Zachary Knighton as a recently fired Wall Street-type, Hello Ladies' Nate Torrence as the requisite weirdo, and newcomer Meera Rohit Kumbhani as a free-spirited artist.

People will never stop doing stupid things, and thanks to power of technology, we can film every single second of our collective idiocy. This import from the YouTube channel FailArmy features comedians commenting on videos in which unfortunate saps commit egregious acts of failitude, as if having millions of people watch them embarrass themselves on the Internet wasn't bad enough. Terry Crews hosts.

Tony Award-winner and former Bunheads star Sutton Foster headlines this new series from Sex and the City's Darren Star. The actress plays a 40-year-old newly single mother who gets a makeover from her best friend (Debi Mazar) in order to pass herself off as a 26-year-old so she can get back into the working world. For real-life reference, Foster is 39 years old but doesn't look a day over 26 anyway, so we're honestly curious to see what this "makeover" entails. Hilary Duff also stars.